Railway car tether releasing means



F b. 27, 1945. J. F. .DAY 2,370,523 v RA ILWAY CAR TETHER RELEASING MEANS Filed April 25, 1944 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Feb. 27, 1945. Y J. FQDAY 2,370,523

RAILWAY CAR TETHER RELEASING MEANS Filed April 25, 1944 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Patented Feb. 27, 1945 r A EN ICE e t in -tee I RAIlJWAY'CAR TETHER gnpnnsmg. Jahtee'fi thh Day, fiQhliiEllFq. et

Applioation April 25, 1944, Serial No. 532,633 Q-Qle hst. t L 18.8

This en i n ela es to. the m ning] and ha to o P cu arly Wit .d ie s used te se u n in a s ag ns in V. .s, dewh g ade wh th Same are bein eede.

In the eh tet eh' e mines QhXS ere. uh en a ks in later l mem .f etn eeeet eh o be de and i frequently hehpehe h t the n the oms eref hid. a grade, which. requ res e use of e. t ther Q holding hev e e heeh the a hem driitihe. dewh. shade Wh le heihe, leaded by the miner. The'use'of holding deviges {or the We s of ens stethd h eh the tyhe 9 de a pre en emplo d for th s phrneee' emn ieee a am whieh is tta hed te treek. ra l. a thei a hed to he elhh pehd. eheek ettethed to e chain, i enga ed hre efh keeper loop wh eh efeeehred e thehhder par at h eat at one side thereet "Aeeetd hste the p es nt p tise iti ih ees ery t e'h ehemeh who ides u n he motor wh eh s em e ed f pul ng out t e ea ecl' to ieeheee'e he he k b hand m e. .keepehlee a te the m te h s been run in eunhhe eheeeeth t with the en and has shifted the ear etehtl te elee seh the chain. This operation is fraught with. considb e denser for the hr lsemeh and n, d en c nsum s e eeneide eblehhht e the de i g t m t. ope ation must be hero me many times dur hethe dey hd eh me e hrakeme m st eave themet and r n ha t he le g h o he ear t the late heret eel; is cennee ed end the hrekem h s ne lwa s s re: o th s de of th t a k upon whieh th holding d vi e s l eted he fr quen y tim ge s rom eheeihe o the ether.-

h ri ci a ebi e hi the th se t hveh ieh s t ovid e device whetehy the v lllhtl is not requir d to hhhit h, the 'hhlt Y1??? er tether h m the but whereby t d s heesee ment of he heeh re h the Keep r leee sefieeted u oma i a ly as s en. the ea has heeh h ites; by he meter .e eufheieht di tehee h P9 LlQ slack in he t em eehhee ihg; the hhe th the track clamp.

An ehiee 9i. thefih eht ehie t p ovide a ic or efi e ihe he .ehtemeti die hheetieh of h old ng hee ,QOII! the keeper lee h ans of a pen er .tehlewh eh' it tetes di e tl n a th ekwhe ht wh n ehe h eh ihg theh e w th the le hn'lie lee ehed the k e d i s i gin s rai h .de h the hanging from the keeper loop, will drgp against the pan or table upon whicl it will rook es that the engaged endwill-fall out and iron; of the keeper loop.

The invention will be best understood from the following detailed desoription taken in association with the aocoinpanyingvdrawings forniing a part-of tlie specification, with the understanding, however, that the invention is not confinedto a. strict eoniormity with the showing; at the drawings but may be changed or modified so longas siich changes or modiiioations mark no material departure from the salient features of the invention as expressed in tire appended claims.

Inth'e drawings:

Fig-lire I is a viewin perspective of a car showing the applioation antidepressant invention to hold the ear against drifting.

FigureZ is a viewillnstrating the releasing oi the hook by the present intention when thebar has oeenshifted upgrade. I

Figure '3 is'a view in plan of the present invention, the keeper ring being in section.

Figure 4 is a View inelevat'ion of the present invention show-ingthe device oonnected with I the keeper ring.

Figure 5 is a viewin' plan of the clamp plate. Figure 6 is a iew in plan of the pan supporting arm. 1

: eferringnow more particularly to the drawin gs wherein like numerals of reference desig nate corresponding parts throughout the several views, thenumeral I'll generally designates a genventionall y illustrated'mine car. Siioh oars 0perate on narrow gauge tracks," the'rails of -such track being designated ii." The supporting wheels lgior thecar are set in a considerable distance frorn'the sides of theoar so that jas shownin Figure 1 there is' a siibstantial portion of the car at each side wi ion e tends out beyond car on a grade-againsfdriftirig, cornp ises are a:

tt ellv Elehf heee 'ei !4 W 2th??? eteite i let nd t term it hhh s v 51t eheeeee eerese th inner dge oi there liheeew e Plate 1 F1155 ed, 'rhe ent h sed behl eth the base he. h e the t emh Pete H P ht. 1 9 ereh' to te h a se hh heihhtt eh L6 .Wh it vidd witn a. suitable aperture 11 to rciy ji end of a tether chain 18.

Upon the top of the plate M there is secured by a pin or rivet 19 the clamp 20, one end of which is bent up away from the underlying plate It for engagement over the other side of the rail flange for cooperation with the portion 15 of the plate to hold the clamp plate in position on the rail. Some play is permitted between the opposed ends of the parts l5 and 20 with respect to the interposed web of the rail so that when a side pull is applied to the chain l8 as is the case when the chain is attached to a car which may tend to move down grade, the clamp plate will swing to some extent horizontally to follow the movement of the car. This action causes a tightening of the connectionbetween the clamping plate and the rail base so that the plate or holding device cannot slip along the rail.

The outer end of the chain (8 has attached thereto a hook 2| which has a relatively long shank portion 22 and an open bill 23 which is designed for engagement through the keeper loop l3 as illustrated in Figure 4.

The holding or tethering device thus far described isstandard equipment in a mine and in its use, when an empty car is run into position to be loaded the brakeman of the motor shifting the car, picks up the hook 2| and engages it with the loop l3 after which, when the car is disengaged from the motor,the' car may coast or drift down grade until the hook and chain are pulled taut as illustrated, the hook shank extending inwardly and downwardly. beneath the car body. Under present conditions it will be readily seen that since the hook is of substantial'length and of heavyconstruction, if the car is shifted up grade so as to allow the chain.l8 to slacken, the shank attached end of the hookwill merly swing down and it is necessary for the brakeman to lift the hook by hand to disengage it from the loop.

;As previously stated the present invention is designed to eifect the automatic disengagement of the hook bill from the loop as soon, as the chain is slackened. a I In accordance with the presentinvention there is attached to the underside of the outer end of the clamp plate 14, anend of an arm 24. The attached end of the arm is designated 25 and this is secured to the underside of the plate M by the bolt 26 which passes upwardly through the plate .and through the clamp 20, serving the double function of securing the arm and of securing the clamp 20 against turning on the plate It.

The arm 24 curves upwardly and outwardly from the attached lower or inner end 25 and terminates in the substantiallyhorizontal upper and outer end 21 which has the slight downwardly curving central portion 28. The length of the arm 24 is such that the depressed portion 28 will be located beneath the end of the hook 2! when the latter is attached to the loop or ring [3 and is pulled inwardly by the taut chain. 7

Upon the top of the substantially horizontal outer end portion 21 of the arm 24 is located a plate or pan 29 the central part of which is depressed to form the cup 30. This cupped central portion of the plate lies in the depressed portion 28 of the arm and there is extended through the plate at the outer edge thereof a securing bolt 3| which passes through a slot 32 formed in the arm portion 21. By means of this slot slight adjustments may be made of the pan on the arm so that the center part of the pan can be brought to the proper position beneath theend of the hook shank.

As it will be readily apparent from the foregoing description, in the use of the tether or securing means, with the present invention, the clamp will be set in place upon the track rail and the arm 24 will be swung on the bolt 26 to the proper position where when the hook 2| is engaged with the keeper loop or ring 13 of a car, the free end of the hook shank will lie over the pan. After this setting has once been made for a .car itwill not have to be changed since each succeeding car will be placed in the same position as the preceding one and will remain held by the shank and hook in such position against the pull of gravity tending to make the car-drift down grade.

The pan 29 is relatively close under the end of the hook shank so that only a slight slackening of the shank l8 will be necessary to permit the end of the shank to drop into engagement with the pan. Accordingly, when the motor is run into coupling engagement with the car and the car is shifted up-grade by the motor as soon as the chain slackens the end of the hook will engage against the underlying pan or table and the latter will prevent further down swinging of the hook, causing the hook to fulcrum on the pan and thus shift the bill portion out of the keeper loop. Thus the automatic disengagement or unhooking of the holding device from the car is effected without attention from the brakeman and the car can be immediately pulled away by the motor. I

By the provision of the central depression in the pan 29, into which the end of the hook shank engages when it is dropped, the desired swinging 1. The combination with a railway car tethering means including a hook having flexible connection with a track rail and means for connecting. the hook with the car; of means for effecting the automatic disconnection of the hook from the car comprising a member positioned beneath the hook on which the hook bears and fulcrums upon the slackening of the flexible connection when the hook'is connected with the car.

2. In a railway car tethering means, a clamp for connection with a track rail, a hook, a flexible connection between the hook and the clamp, an arm attached to the clamp and formed to extend outwardly and upwardly from the clamp when the clamp is secured in working position, and a member carried upon the outer end of the arm forming a fulcrum for the hook, the length of the flexible connection and the. arm having a definite relation to one another.

I 3. In a railway car tetheringmeans, a clamp for connection with a track rail, a hook, a flexible connection between the hook and the clamp, an arm attached to the clamp and formed to extend outwardly and upwardly from the clamp when the clamp is secured in working position, and a plate-like member adapted to he positioned beneath and in relatively closeproximity to the hook to provide a surface upon, which the hook may fulcrum. c V

4. In a railway car securing device-comprising a hook adapted to engage a car carried ringlike keeper and a flexible coupling between the hook and a fixed holding means, a supporting arm, and a plate carried by the arm, the arm length being such as to position the plate beneath the hook when the latter is in car holding connection with the keeper.

5. A device as set forth in claim 4, in which said arm is supported for adjustable movement in a horizontal plane to facilitate locating the plate beneath the hook.

6. A keeper device as set forth in claim 4, in which said plate has a depressed portion into which to receive the end of the hook which is connected with the flexible coupling, to maintain such end in fulcruming contact with the plate.

'7. A device as set forth in claim 4, with means connecting the plate with the arm by which the plate may have its position on the arm adjusted.

8. In a railway car securing device and autothe clamp is in rail attached position, the other end of the arm having a substantially straight portion, and a pan supported upon the said relatively straight other end portion of the arm and designed to be maintained by the arm in rela tively close proximity to and beneath the hook when the, hook is operatively connected with said keeper.

9. A railway car securing device as set forth in claim 8, in which said pan has a depressed portion to receive the said end of the hook.

JAMES FRANK DAY. 

